Weather Watches and Warnings…. What’s the difference?

A WATCH means that the potential exists for the development of severe thunderstorms or tornadoes, depending upon the specific type of watch issued. In the case of a tornado watch, this DOES NOT mean that a tornado has been seen or even indicated on radar…it just means that conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes in thunderstorms. Similarly, a severe thunderstorm watch means that conditions are just conducive for the development of severe weather, and DOES NOT indicate that severe weather has been reported. While no immediate action on the part of the general public is required for the issuance of a watch, citizens should keep up to date on the current weather situation and be prepared to seek shelter if necessary.

A WARNING, on the other hand, requires more immediate action and should be taken seriously. A severe thunderstorm warning indicates that severe weather is imminent in your area or is already occurring (based on either human observation or doppler radar). The term severe refers to hail greater than or equal to 1.00″ in diameter and/or wind gusts that meet or exceed 58 mph. Although these storms can also be associated with dangerous cloud to ground lightning or heavy rainfall that is capable of causing flash flooding, neither of these two items serve as criteria for a severe thunderstorm warning being issued.

Take the weather with you on your mobile phone. Wherever you are, you can get the local weather forecast from the National Weather Service with one click on your home screen. Bookmark mobile.weather.gov to make sure that you have the latest weather news and information on the go. READ THE FULL POST HERE

If you live in Indiana, chances are you’ve been in severe weather. We offer the following Indiana severe weather awareness tips as refresher on severe weather alerts and what to do in a weather emergency might be in order. I would also like to share a link to a service I use personally that has been very useful. It is a text alert sign up for severe weather, school delays/closings and more. I have found this very helpful; especially when the power has gone out and I’m wondering if I may be affected by severe weather.

Read on…

WATCH:
A Watch indicates the possibility of severe weather in a relatively broad area. For instance, a tornado watch means conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes. Go about your normal routines, but watch for threatening weather.